The new acl.gov/COVID-19: You may have noticed that our COVID-19 page has a new look. On the relaunched site we've reorganized our resources to create a few new pages:
- Resources for Older Adults, People with Disabilities, Families, and Caregivers
- Resources for the Aging and Disability Networks
- Ensuring Equity and Inclusion
- COVID-19 Webinars
Speaking of webinars … mark your calendars!
- Tuesday, March 30, 1:00pm ET COVID-19: Navigation: Promising practices for scheduling and transporting PWD to COVID-19 vaccination appointments hosted by AUCD, ASTHO, and NACCHO. Additional webinars in the Vaccination and Reaching People with Disabilities Webinar Series:
- Wednesday, March 31 Consideration: Promising practices for vaccinating family members of PWD and those who are homebound
- Wednesday, April 7 Communication: Promising practices for reducing COVID-19 vaccine hesitancy and disseminating accessible messages
- Thursday, April 8 Prioritization: Promising practices for educating others about the importance of disability prioritizing in state vaccination plans
- Tuesday, March 30, 2:00pm ET Getting the Vaccine to Communities That Need It Most co-hosted by the Diverse Elders Coalition, the National Hispanic Council on Aging, and Justice in Aging.
- Thursday, April 1, 12:30pm ET Strategies for Health Plans to Support Access to COVID-19 Vaccines for Vulnerable Populations hosted by Resources for Integrated Care.
- Wednesday, April 7, 12:00pm ET Mobilizing Transit and Public Health Partnerships for COVID-19 Vaccinations Case Studies hosted by the Federal Transit Administration-funded National Center for Mobility Management, view recordings of the first two webinars in this series)
The latest on vaccines: Earlier today, Pres. Biden announced an exciting partnership between ACL and CDC to provide nearly $100 million to the disability and aging networks. The funding will be used to help increase vaccine access for older adults and people with disabilities.
Here are a few more vaccination resources from our partners and grantees:
- Plain-Language Videos on Vaccinations in English and Spanish are produced by the Autistic Self-Advocacy Network.
- Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) toolkit covers updates to the Coverage and Reimbursement of COVID-19 Vaccines, Vaccine Administration, and Cost Sharing under Medicaid, CHIP, and BHP.
- Civil Rights Considerations During COVID-19 Vaccine Distribution Efforts is a checklist created by FEMA.
Updated guidance for CILs: ACL has released updated FAQs about Centers for Independent Living and COVID-19 Aid, Relief, and Economic Security Act of 2020 (CARES Act) Funding.
The latest from the ADA National Network: The NIDILRR-funded ADA National Network's COVID-19 page has over 250 resources designed to help people with disabilities protect their rights during the pandemic
New report on the pandemic and people with disabilities: the Association of University Centers on Disability recently released a new report, The COVID-19 Pandemic and People with Disabilities: Primary Concerns, the AUCD Network Response, and Needs for the Future. The report highlights examples of the great work being done by University Centers for Excellence in Developmental Disabilities.
A back to school resource: The Washington University School of Medicine has developed a new website, Safe Return to School For All which summarizes best practices for returning safely to school based on information from the Washington University Intellectual and Developmental Disabilities Research Center working with staff at the Special School District of St. Louis County, Missouri.